ONE-TO-ONE AND COUPLES COUNSELLING

The problems listed below are just a few of the difficulties people bring to relationship counselling:

The need to make changes in a relationship

Breakdown, separation and divorce

Difficulty talking to each other

Conflict

Sexual problems

Parenting issues

Difficulty forming new/step-families

Issues with extended family members

The Next Steps

The therapist will use different types of counselling approach to help with the difficulties. These approaches may on a one-to-one or couples basis and include:

Psychodynamic Approach exploring where the problem might have come from in the past.

Systemic Approach viewing the client(s) and other individuals involved in relation to each other, rather than focusing on what is happening to one individual. Systemic therapists work with whole families, parts of families, couples, and individuals.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) learning new ways of thinking and behaving in relation to the problems.

What happens in the first session?

In the first session the therapist will listen to the problems you are experiencing and discuss the best way to help you move forwards, as a couple, or an individual on a one-to-one basis.

SEXUAL THERAPY

Many people are unsure of how to get help with sexual problems.

Our experienced and qualified psychosexual therapists receive referrals from GPs, and also accept self-referrals from individuals and couples seeking help to overcome sexual problems. There are a number of symptoms which relate to sexual difficulties.

These can be caused by physical dysfunctions and/or emotional distress:

Illness

Relationship breakdown

Anxiety

Depression

Lack of confidence

Failure to communicate feelings

Aggression and anger

Lack of intimacy

Next Steps

The therapist will use a number of counselling approaches to help you with your difficulties. These will include a Psychodynamic Approach to get to the root of the problem and work to resolve it, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you understand your thoughts in relation to your problems, and learn practical solutions for dealing with distressing situations.

What happens in the first session?

Other types of counselling may be used and this will be discussed with you in the first session. To learn more about the types of therapies we use click here.

COUNSELLING FOR ANGER MANAGEMENT

Anger is a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility, that may affect your health, work, social behaviour or relationships.

Angry behaviour can mean:

Shouting and swearing, at people, at animals or even at objects

Bullying

Sarcastic comments

Physical violence, hitting, pushing, kicking or breaking things

Hidden or suppressed anger where you feel angry on the inside but are unable to let it out

Rage and aggression leading to irrational unhelpful behaviour, such as raging at other drivers when in the car

Poorly managed anger can often be the cause of other problems, including but not limited to low self esteem, headaches, a lowered immune system, self harm, eating disorders, or misuse of drugs and alcohol.

Next Steps

Anger Management Counselling uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you cope with angry feelings in a healthy, calm way.

Within sessions, clients are encouraged to uncover the reasons behind their unhelpful behaviour and learn to recognise the triggers of the angry reaction. CBT helps you to understand your anger while learning practical solutions for dealing with the situations that trigger it.

What happens in the first session?

Other types of counselling may be used in conjunction with CBTÂ and this will be discussed with you in the first session.

COUNSELLING FOR ANXIETY

Anxiety is a distressing emotion that people sometimes call ‘nervousness’ or ‘fear’.

The word ‘Anxiety’ applies to a number of situations and feelings which people experience, including but not limited to:

Phobias: Fear of specific things like heights, insects, or flying in aeroplanes

Panic attacks: Described as intense feelings of anxiety in which people fear they are going to die. Symptoms include feeling dizzy, extreme sweating, and an increased heart rate

Post Traumatic Stress: Repeated memories of a disturbing traumatic event with high levels of stress and anxiety, causing similar symptoms to panic attacks

General Anxiety Disorder: When worries and anxiety symptoms are experienced on a fairly continuous day to day basis

Next Steps

There are two types of treatment for anxiety: medication, and psychological support such as anxiety counselling.

These can be used together or separately, so it is helpful to seek advice from your GP about the benefits of counselling on its own or with medication, depending on your symptoms. One of the most effective techniques for anxiety counselling is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) where the therapist and client work together to identify the problems and develop positive, practical ways of dealing with them.

What happens in the first session?

Other types of counselling may be used in conjunction with CBT and this will be discussed with you in the first session.

COUNSELLING FOR EATING DISORDERS & OBESITY

Eating Disorders are unhealthy or obsessive relationships with food that lead to extreme weight gain or loss.

Signs of disordered eating include:

Being significantly overweight or underweight

Being obsessive around food

Restricting food, or binging on a regular basis

Secretive eating

Yo-Yo dieting

Constant cycles of losing and gaining weight

Poor body image

Lack of confidence and low self esteem

Lack of energy/motivation

Treatment and next steps

The therapist will take time to find out your personal history with food, and will work with you to develop an individual plan to help you with your problems. The therapist will use combined approaches including:

Psychodynamic Approach to help understand how the problem developed in the past.

Person Centred Approach to provide a safe, confidential environment in which you can express feelings connected to the problem.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to identify the damaging behaviours, habits and thought processes associated with your relationship with food, and to learn how to change them.

As part of the working plan the therapist will offer:

One to one help and guidance

Coaching and motivation

An understanding of dietary fact and fiction

Knowledge of self, and of eating patterns

Nutrition and Exercise facts and information

COUNSELLING FOR BEREAVEMENT & LOSS

To be bereaved means to lose a loved one through death. It is a natural reaction, which is different for each person.

No one can tell you how long the process of recovery and healing will take. Counselling for Bereavement and Loss helps people to adjust to the changed situation. It is an opportunity to be heard, have time to talk, to cry, shout, or just to think. Counselling helps sort out some of the confused feelings as a result of the loss or death, and can help bring some order to a world thrown into chaos.

Bereavement includes the death of a child, a partner/spouse, a family member, a friend or colleague, or even a beloved pet. However, there are other losses that are not a result of death, that nonetheless cause people to experience sadness and distress – for instance, the loss of a job, the end of a marriage or relationship, or one’s children leaving home.

Whether the loss is through death or a life event, the stages of grief people experience are similar.

Types of Therapy and next steps

The therapist will offer a place to talk that is confidential and sympathetic to your situation. It is a place for you to talk through your loss without fear of upsetting the other person, or being judged for ‘not coping’ with your feelings.

The approach used for counselling for Bereavement and Loss usually starts with a Person Centred Approach. The therapist will discuss this with you in the first session, and assess whether other types of therapy would also be useful.